Giordano tried to redeem Robyn Gardner insurance policy

(AP) - A Maryland man detained in Aruba in the presumed death of his travel partner had an accidental-death insurance policy on her for $1.5 million and sought to claim the money two days after reporting her missing, a person who provided information to the investigation has told The Associated Press.

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The details of the policy obtained by Gary V. Giordano before his trip to Aruba may help explain why he has been detained on suspicion of involvement in the death of Robyn Gardner during their short getaway to the Dutch Caribbean island.

Authorities also discovered "explicit" photos of Gardner that were stored on Giordano's camera, which has been confiscated.

Authorities declined to provide details of the photos but said that partial images of Giordano appeared in some of them. Investigators are still trying to determine when the photos were taken.

The person with knowledge of the policy told the AP that Giordano purchased a $1.5 million American Express Travel Insurance policy shortly before he left for Aruba and that the accidental-death benefit covered only the length of their short trip.

The source told the AP that Giordano called the insurance company on Aug. 4, while the search for Gardner was still going on. He sought to confirm that the documents listing him as the insurance beneficiary had been received and wanted to begin redeeming the policy.

This person also said that records indicate Giordano asked whether any search costs would be covered by the policy.

The source did not have authorization to publicly release the information and agreed to speak with the AP only on condition of anonymity.
A spokeswoman for American Express, Gail Wasserman, said the company could not comment on any individual policies for privacy reasons.

Aruban Solicitor General Taco Stein, the spokesman for the investigation into Gardner's disappearance, said Wednesday that Giordano had travel insurance but he provided few details, saying investigators were still reviewing financial documents as they tried to determine what happened to the 35-year-old woman from Frederick, Maryland.

"If you travel, you take out insurance. That's not an uncommon thing, to say the least," Stein told the AP. "It all depends on what's in the policy."